Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy (UGFS)

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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have now issued their definitive guidance on Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy. To download their guidance for patients' click here

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Ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) is a new minimally-invasive alternative to varicose vein (VV) surgery. Professor Andrew Bradbury, Director of Midland Vein Centres, has been perfecting the technique over the last 4 years and is one of the few specialists in the UK currently offering this treatment. 

Unlike surgery, UGFS:

• Is performed in the clinic as an outpatient procedure (taking about 30 minutes)

• Does not require a general anaesthetic

• Requires no incisions in the leg (so there is no risk of infection)

• Is not associated with any risk of nerve injury

• Is virtually painless and associated with little or no bruising

• Enables an immediate return to normal everyday activities

• Allows most patients to return to work the next day - some even go back the same day!

The procedure involves the following steps:

• A very small amount (0.5ml) of local anaesthetic is placed in the skin over the vein to be treated.  This small area stings for a few seconds

• A larger needle is then placed through the area of numbed skin into the vein to be treated.  This is painless and done using venous duplex ultrasound as a guide to ensure accurate and safe placement

• Once the needle is in position, the leg is gently raised to empty all the veins of blood

• The foam, which is a weak detergent-like material, is freshly prepared and injected into the vein

• Ultrasound is used to make sure that the foam enters all the varicose veins but does not enter the normal veins

• Once all the varicose veins are full of foam the treated veins are compressed with a bandage over which is placed a surgical stocking

• Patients wear the bandage and stocking for 10 days and are then asked to wear the stocking only for a further three weeks

The foam works by forcing the blood out the varicose veins and then by making the walls the vein sticky so that the vein closes off.  Over a period of a few weeks and months the treated VV shrivel up and disappear.

Having successfully treated over 350 patients with UGFS Professor Bradbury finds that approximately 80 to 90% of patients, to whom in the past he would have offered surgery, are suitable for foam sclerotherapy. 

UGFS is particularly good for patients who have developed recurrent VV after previous surgery and for patients with chronic venous leg ulcers secondary to VV.

Unlike VV surgery, UGFS can also be performed on people who are anticoagulated without having to stop or reduce their warfarin.

Professor Bradbury continues to do clinical and basic science research to further improve the effectiveness of this treatment.

To download our information sheet on varicose veins and their treatment click here.

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